WEATHERFORD, Okla. - The Crimson Storm dropped their series opener Friday afternoon, falling 16-6 to Southwestern Oklahoma State on the road.

Southern Nazarene (4-15, 0-10 GAC) collected 12 hits in the game, but Southwestern Oklahoma State (12-9, 4-6 GAC) used a big early lead and several multi-run innings to pull away late.
The Bulldogs struck first in the bottom of the first inning, scoring three runs to take an early 3-0 lead.

SNU answered in the second. Braden Pingel started the rally with a single, and James Bodine followed with a base hit. Aiden McCullough then ripped a double to left field that brought Pingel home and cut the deficit to 3-1.

Southwestern added three more runs in the second inning to extend its lead to 6-1.

The Bulldogs kept the pressure on in the fourth inning, highlighted by a solo home run from John Spoto and a triple that drove in another run as SWOSU pushed the advantage to 11-1.

The Crimson Storm battled back in the fifth. McCullough doubled to start the inning, and Cade Ross followed with an RBI double down the right field line. Maikah Gonzalez then delivered a double to center field that scored Ross and made it 11-3.

SNU added another run in the sixth when Trevyn Stewart launched a solo home run to left field. Later in the inning, Gonzalez singled to bring in Braydan Salinas, and Josh Bay followed with an RBI single up the middle to score McCullough, trimming the score to 14-6.

Southwestern responded once again adding two more runs in the seventh to secure the 16-6 run-rule win.

McCullough led the Storm at the plate with two doubles and an RBI. Gonzalez finished with two hits and two RBIs, while Bay added two hits and one RBI.

Next Up
Southern Nazarene will return to Weatherford Saturday, March 7 for a noon doubleheader against Southwestern Oklahoma State to conclude the three-game series.